| I have recently started a new career. It is called | | | | from the Willamette Valley, where Cabernet does |
| Internet marketing. For those of you who do not | | | | not grow well. This particular winery, Troon by |
| know what that is, basically that means I build a | | | | name, did carry Cabernet Sauvignon because their |
| webpage and I advertise other people's products | | | | winery and vineyards are located in Southern |
| on it, and when someone buys something from | | | | Oregon, where Cabernet Sauvignon does grow |
| my site I earn a commission. So I am always | | | | well. |
| looking for new ideas of products that I can | | | | It just so happened that the day that I was |
| promote to sell on the Web. | | | | visiting was the weekend before Memorial Day |
| So one day a few weeks ago I was casting | | | | weekend. Here in Carlton, as I am sure it is in |
| around in my mind for a subject for a new | | | | other towns with lots of wineries, the weekend |
| website, and of course when I'm thinking about | | | | before Memorial weekend is almost as busy as |
| building a website I always try to look for | | | | Memorial weekend for wine tasters, because that |
| something that I actually know about. So I | | | | is what they call their pre-release weekend. What |
| started thinking, what do I know about, and what | | | | that means is, that people who are members of |
| do I like, that I have not built a webpage on yet. | | | | the wine clubs get first shot at wines that will be |
| And as I was thinking of this, I just happened to | | | | released on Memorial weekend, which is the |
| be walking to the post office to check my mail. I | | | | weekend when most wineries release their new |
| live in a pretty small town, so as I was walking | | | | wines for the year. Believe me, wine club |
| through the middle of town I noticed all of the | | | | members take big advantage of this weekend. I |
| wine tasting shops that line our main street. And I | | | | had lunch at a local restaurant on Main Street in |
| thought, wow, why not build a website about | | | | Carlton, Cielo Blu, and watched as wine club |
| wine? I personally love wine, and I love to visit | | | | members walked past the restaurant windows |
| the wine tasting shops. Not only in our town, but | | | | carrying cases of wine. |
| in other areas where I travel also. | | | | While I was speaking with the helpful person at |
| So as soon as I had collected my mail and headed | | | | Troon wine tasting room, she invited me back for |
| on home I jumped on the Internet and started | | | | Memorial Day weekend tasting, she said that they |
| doing some research to see if it would be | | | | would be tasting not only new releases, but as a |
| beneficial for me to build a site about wine. After | | | | special surprise she was also including an earlier |
| doing some research I discovered that yes, this | | | | vintage of the Cabernet Sauvignon, so that |
| could be a viable venture for me. And so I set | | | | people could taste the earlier vintage and the just |
| about learning about Cabernet Sauvignon, as that | | | | released wine side-by-side. I thought that was a |
| is the area that my research led me to. Well, of | | | | splendid idea, since I had never really tasted a |
| course, since my idea came to me in my | | | | young wine and an aged wine back-to-back. |
| hometown, I decided why not start by | | | | I did go back on Memorial day weekend to do the |
| researching there? | | | | tasting. And I made sure that I was one of the |
| So I walked uptown and stopped in the first wine | | | | first people there that weekend as I knew that |
| tasting shop that I came to. Did I mention that | | | | the older vintage would only be available for |
| my town has a lot of wine tasting shops in it? I | | | | tasting for a short time. I have to say that it was |
| do not know exactly how many are within our | | | | an eye-opener to be able to taste the two |
| city limits, but at a guess I would say about 20, in | | | | vintages together. It was not as if I was tasting |
| a town of about 2000 souls. So, I stopped at the | | | | two wines, but I could definitely tell the difference. |
| first winery I came to. This particular winery did | | | | The aged wine just tasted a little mellower to me. |
| not carry any Cabernet Sauvignon from their | | | | I am not a wine connoisseur by any means, even |
| vineyards, but that did not stop the person behind | | | | though I do like tasting wine. My palate is not |
| the counter from having a conversation with me | | | | trained enough to be able to pick out all the |
| about wine in general. Not only was she very | | | | different flavors like a connoisseur could. I mainly |
| friendly, she was also very knowledgeable about | | | | just like to taste to find wines that I like. |
| wine. Even though she did not carry Cabernet | | | | Even though wine tasting at Troon was my most |
| Sauvignon herself, she happily directed me to a | | | | memorable experience that weekend, I was able |
| another vineyard in town that she thought would | | | | to do some more tasting and research in other |
| have some. | | | | wineries about town. And my research is not |
| And so I proceeded to the tasting room that she | | | | done, I hope to be able to make it to Southern |
| had directed me to. And she was entirely correct, | | | | Oregon to visit some Cabernet vineyards before |
| they did have Cabernet Sauvignon. I explained to | | | | harvesting season this year. And of course while |
| the woman behind the counter that I was doing | | | | I'm there I will have to do some more tasting. I |
| research for a new webpage and she happily | | | | understand that the Applegate Valley of Southern |
| engaged me in a conversation about that | | | | Oregon is a great place for growing Cabernet |
| particular wine. She's the one who explained to | | | | Sauvignon grapes. I look forward to the |
| me that the last shop I was at did not carry | | | | experience of not only seeing the vineyards, but |
| Cabernet because their vineyards and winery was | | | | of tasting the wines. |